Exhibits highlight artistic legacy of Thomas Cole
Two centuries ago, a 17-year-old from Bolton, England, arrived on the shores of a young country and saw its vistas with the unclouded eyes of a newcomer.
In its classical beauty he found inspiration. In its encroaching industry he found cause for concern. And over the next several years, as Thomas Cole embarked on his career as an artist, he rendered the landscape with such clarity, depth and romantic fervor that he wound up founding the Hudson River School — becoming, in the process, an early and lasting advocate for conservation.